Roads Less Traveled
by RiBuscus
Summary: I have permission from the almighty PurpleSatinRose to use her OC. Odd's sister, Vanessa Della Robbia, becomes a boarder at Kadic Academy. She soon takes a liking to Pencak Silat, and trains with Ulrich on a daily basis. After a XANA attack during a training session, Vanessa is plunged into a world of chaos. Can she survive it, or will Lyoko lead to her downfall? OxA YxUxVanessa
1. Chapter 1

**With permission from the all-powerful PurpleSatinRose, I've decided to write a hardcore novel featuring her OC, Vanessa Della Robbia! There is a full description of the character on her profile. **

**Note: You'll probably want to look at the description before reading this.**

**Disclaimer: I don't, nor will I ever, have any rights to Code Lyoko. If I did, then Evolution wouldn't be in live action.**

**Again, Vanessa Della Robbia is not my OC; she belongs to PurpleSatinRose.**

**Roads Less Traveled**

**Chapter 1:**

Summer had gone by seemingly in a matter of seconds. With only a few attacks from Xana, the Lyoko Warriors had most of the summer to spend to themselves; except for poor old Odd. Having five older sisters wasn't much fun, and just his luck, his parents had decided that Vanessa should come to Kadic this year due to a few problems of hers. Thus, four Della Robbia family members sat in a cramped SUV filled with assorted colors of black and purple luggage.

"Now Odd, remember to keep Kiwi out of sight, okay? We don't want your gym teacher to get suspicious again, now do we?" Odd's father spoke.

"Yeah, Odd, make sure that mangy mutt of yours stays away from me." Vanessa was rather moody. She wasn't exactly thrilled to be leaving home.

"This 'mangy mutt' has a name, you know." Odd mockingly stuck his tongue out, "And it's not like he leaves my room much anyway."

Kiwi lightly whimpered, "I know, buddy, we'll see them soon." The small dog settled itself back into Odd's lap, "That's my diggity dog! Look V, he's so graceful!"

Vanessa glanced at the animal, noticing it twitch, "Yeah, that's about as graceful as tractor-pulling."

Unable to contain himself, Odd burst into laughter, "Wow V, I didn't know you had it in you! My genius must have rubbed off on you, huh?"

Vanessa scoffed at him before laughing and returning to her window. In the distance, Kadic Academy came into view. What Vanessa had in store for her was nothing like what she expected.

* * *

"Bye mom! Bye dad!" Vanessa and Odd waved as the vehicle drove away. In the distance, a familiar voice could be heard.

"Odd!" the sound of Aelita's voice suddenly brought his attention.

"Hi, Princess! How was summer without me, huh?" Odd playfully poked her forehead, causing her to twitch slightly.

"I missed everything about you." she paused, "Except your stupid jokes."

Odd scowled at her, "Yeah, nice to see you, too. Anyway, this is my sister, Vanessa. Vanessa, this is Aelita, my gir-…I mean our distant cousin from Canada! You remember the one I was telling you about, right?" he scratched the back of his head nervously.

Vanessa eyed him carefully before dismissing her brother's awkward behavior, "Yeah, I remember you telling me about her 'natural' pink hair."

"But…it _is _natural…see?" Aelita slightly tilted her head, revealing that her roots were the same color as the rest of her hair, "And look at my eyebrows!"

Vanessa's eyes widened, "Wow…that's so awesome! Hey Odd, are the rest of your friends this cool?" Aelita slightly blushed at the complement.

"Yeah, V, they are. Except for Ulrich; he's just a pain in my a-,"

"What's that about Ulrich?" the brunette was walking towards the three teens with an apple in his hand.

"Oh, um, nothing buddy! I was just describing how wonderful of a friend you are and how you don't snore like a bear!" Odd snorted and Aelita slightly giggled.

"Alright, Mr. Smelly Feet." Ulrich glanced at Vanessa, "So who's this?"

Vanessa hastily jumped in front of Odd, "My name's Vanessa! But you can just call me V. I'm this dork's older sister." she playfully punched Odd's shoulder.

He stuck his hand out to her, which she took, "Well V, it's nice to meet you. You and Yumi will probably get along well together." He gestured down at her attire.

Vanessa had straight, dyed black hair with magenta slashed bangs that covered one eye. She wore black Converses, magenta capris, a black tank top, and heavy mascara and shimmery magenta eye shadow. She was rather short; about five inches below Ulrich.

Odd spoke up, "Yumi is the gothic Japanese girl I told you about. She's in your grade."

Ulrich eyed him wearily, worrying about what else he had told her about the group, "Well, we shouldn't just stand out here in the heat. Let's go see what room you're going to have."

Ulrich walked with Vanessa and Odd walked with Aelita. Ulrich soon initiated a conversation with Vanessa, "Here, let me carry your luggage." Ulrich grabbed her bags, not giving her much of a choice. Vanessa blushed slightly.

Odd and Aelita trailed behind the pair to start their own conversation.

"Those two seem to have hit it off." Aelita commented.

"Maybe it's because she's actually shorter than he is!" Odd cracked. It was true that Ulrich wasn't exactly what one would call tall.

"And she's scene, too. Just like Ulrich likes." Aelita looked at Odd, "Why does she dress like that, anyway? It's cute, don't get me wrong, but it just seems kind of…"

"Dark? Depressing? The antithesis of happy?"

"Precisely! Wait…did you just say 'antithesis'? Jeez, you've been hanging around me too long!" she playfully flicked his ear.

"Ow! I try to be a good boyfriend, and this is what I get?" he winked at her, making her blush. He made sure as to not answer her previous question.

"Be quiet, you! If you've forgotten, we're supposed to be cousins."

"Yeah, I know. Just think, after Kadic we won't have to hide it!" a smile appeared on the purple clad teen, seemingly splitting his face.

"Hide what?" Vanessa turned to her younger brother, eyeing him warily.

Aelita covered his mouth, "Ha…um, nothing!"

Odd licked Aelita's palm, making her pull away, "Doesn't matter, I already forgot!" He winked at her, letting her know that he understood.

* * *

"Another Della Robbia? I'm sure Jimbo will be rather pleased to have a third member of the family at our institution." Mr. Delmas rambled, stamping papers as he did so.

"Yes sir. Jim absolutely **loves **us Della Robbia's! Isn't that right, Ulrich?" Odd laughed.

Ulrich threw the last bit of his apple in a nearby trashcan, "If by 'enjoy', you mean he wants to wipe you off the face of the Earth, then yeah."

Even Mr. Delmas chuckled slightly, "Yes, quite. Jimbo still hasn't given up on your little gang's 'scheme'. I suppose he'll never learn."

Ulrich, Odd, and Aelita quickly glanced at each other. Aelita spoke, "Yeah, you know good ol' Jim. Always playing detective."

"Quite. Vanessa, here is your room key. The only room we had left was a single bedroom, so I hope you don't have problems with loneliness. If so, I'm sure your new friends would be glad to visit you." He waved his hand at the group, "Please excuse me, now. I have much important work to do."

Vanessa examined her room key, "Room number 112. Anyone know where that is?"

Aelita's eyes shot up, "112? That's the room right beside mine!"

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." Ulrich complained, heaving the heavy luggage over his shoulder.

* * *

Vanessa looked to Ulrich, "You know, I can carry one of those bags if you want me to." Ulrich's face contorted at the discomfort of lugging her bags up the staircase.

"No, no. I couldn't possibly let you carry them." He smiled at her.

Vanessa blushed slightly and turned her head to her brother. Odd gave her a goofy look and glanced from her to Ulrich then back to her. He tried not to make his discomfort about Vanessa suddenly being so open seem noticeable. Aelita couldn't help but giggle at the situation.

"108, 109, 110, Aelita's room, and 112!" Vanessa laughed at Ulrich's childlike attitude.

"Welcome home, V." Odd laughed as Vanessa retrieved her bags from Ulrich, making her stumble a little. She looked around at the room. Teal walls, one wooden desk, one wooden wardrobe, one cabinet, one shelf, and one twin sized bed. The only noticeable thing in the room was a nice vanity mirror that had been placed in all of the female dorms over the summer.

"It's not as classy as my room back home, but I suppose it'll do." Vanessa laughed, sitting her luggage on her mattress.

Ulrich laughed, "Yeah, considering the Della Robbia Estate is bigger than the entire academy!"

Aelita laughed at his joke, but soon stopped as she realized that he wasn't kidding, "I knew you were rich but…really?"

"Yeah, we've got a big family. And with Odd around, we have to have a large stockpile of food." The gang laughed at her joke. Odd was happy that she wasn't so depressed anymore, but was still skeptical, nonetheless.

Odd spoke, "Alright alright, we'll leave so you can get settled in. By the way, Mom said she'd be sending your desktop and your bass sometime next week, so be expecting them. Oh, that reminds me! My parents let me bring my Xbox this year!" he gestured to one of the many boxes that he was carrying

Ulrich pumped his fist in the air, "Sweet! I'll bet you a week's worth of desserts that I can beat you in a match of Halo!"

Odd faced Ulrich with a smile splitting his face, "You're on!" The two teens hurried downstairs, shouting several silly challenges towards one another.

Aelita giggled, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Seeing as though you won't be getting any help from the boys, I suppose I'll help you unpack."

"Thanks, Aelita. So, is it true that we're actually cousins? How come I've never heard of you before Odd told me about you?"

"Yeah, we traced the family tree down and it turns out that we're cousins. It's pretty far back though, so that's probably why none of us knew." She rubbed the back of her head nervously.

Vanessa didn't notice her awkward behavior, "That's so cool! I guess it makes sense; Della Robbia purple and Stones pink. Hair colors like these aren't exactly normal."

Aelita laughed and opened Vanessa's biggest suitcase. What she had expected to be clothes turned out to be quite the opposite. Inside the suitcase were various wires, at least 50 albums from various artists, several guitar picks, and a very expensive looking Macintosh laptop in its own case.

"I'm under the impression that music also runs in the bloodline, huh?" Aelita gawked at the recording materials and musical items.

"You play?"

"I've been told that I quote, rape, unquote at DJ-ing. I'm not one to brag, but the Subdigitals _did _choose me to be their opening act…twice. And I featured in a music video shot for them, as well."

"That's so awesome! I'm not that in to techno, though. I'm more into post-core kind of stuff. I played bass guitar in my band back in America." she walked over to Aelita, showing her many of the various albums she owned, "August Burns Red, Ten After Two, Of Mice And Men, stuff like that."

"I've never even heard of these bands before."

"I didn't assume that you had, considering you're attire is mostly pink." She paused, "I used to be like you, you know?"

"Really?"

"Yeah…but I'd rather not talk about it." She smiled and continued to unpack her clothes while Aelita arranged her CD's on the shelves.

* * *

"Alright, HDMI goes here…Xbox goes here…and walla! Let's do this!" Odd plopped down on his still unmade bed.

"Odd, let's at least unpack your bags and stuff before we play." Ulrich said.

"Come on…" Odd grumbled for a few seconds, before admitting his defeat and opening one of his bags, "So, how are you and _Yuuuumiii_?"

Ulrich shrugged, "We agreed that we should just be friends."

Odd choked on his own saliva, "You what? Dude, I'm offended _for _you!"

"Actually, it was a mutual thing. We both agreed that it just wasn't meant to be, you know? I mean, yeah she's cute, but it's better for the group if we don't date. Imagine if we got together then broke up. It would break the whole group apart."

"Yeah…I suppose you're right." Odd lowered his voice to a whisper, "But then again, Aelita and I have been just fine and we've been dating over the whole summer."

"I'm just as shocked that you can keep a girlfriend as you are, good buddy." Ulrich laughed at his joke. Odd scowled at him, but ended up laughing as well, "Speaking of which, is Jeremy still mad about it?"

"I don't really know, I haven't seen him since that last Xana attack. You know, the one where you nearly got burned to death by 'Xana the Firebender'?" Odd grimaced at the thought of the specter hurling fire blasts at them.

"Ugh, don't remind me. Hey, how are we supposed to keep Xana a secret from Vanessa?"

"I don't have a single clue. I didn't even know she was coming until the last minute." he paused, shoving his now empty suitcase under his bed, "She's the only one of my sisters that I get along with, so she might be more willing to keep it a secret if she _does _find out. Besides, she's been really antisocial since what happened, so she won't be blabbing to anyone."

"Wait, what happened?"

"I think it'd be better if she told you. All I can say is that she no longer trusts guys as much as she once did." Odd's mood suddenly dampened. Although the two were rivals, they still cared for each other in a family type of way.

"I guess I can respect that. She seemed pretty chill when I talked to her, though." Ulrich commented.

"Yes, but you have that effect on all of the girls, if you haven't noticed." Odd gave him his classic smirk. Ulrich kiddingly tossed a pillow in Odd's direction, having it hit his forehead.

"Hey, be careful not to rough up my beautiful face, bro!" Ulrich simply chuckled at his remark before sitting on the newly made bed and turned on the Xbox.

"You playing or not?"

"Woo! A week's worth of desserts, here I come!" Odd plopped down on the bed beside Ulrich and synchronized his remote, "Oh God dangit…"

Ulrich looked at him with amusement, "There's no way I'm getting up to put the disc in. You do it."

"Ulrich, I swear I'll make it up to you if you'll only do this one thing for me." Odd pleaded, giving Ulrich a puppy dog face.

"Nope. I'm **way **too lazy to get up. Besides, it's your Xbox." Ulrich smirked at him. Odd, still refusing to get up, continued to sit in the same position, facing the gaming console that sat ten feet across the room. After a few minutes of silence, Ulrich puffed and shoved himself up, "You owe me so much."

"I knew you'd do it eventually."

After starting the game, Odd ventured over to the 'Multiplayer' menu, selecting '1v1 battle'. Odd started the game and looked at Ulrich mischievously. The first round went well for Ulrich, who was the Red Spartan. As soon as the round started, he headed straight to the middle of the map to grab the 'Gravity Hammer', knowing it would be of great significance to him. As soon as Odd rounded a corner, Ulrich pulverized him.

"_RED TEAM WINS!"_

Odd whined, "Hey, no fair!"

"Last I checked, the use of Gravity Hammers was still legal." He laughed and started the next round.

Odd came out on top in this round, seeing that he had memorized the map due to hours of continuous gameplay. He played smart, going around the outskirts of the map to reduce the chances of being seen. After what seemed like an endless trek, the blonde finally found what he was looking for. Propped against a rock was a Sniper Rifle perfect for what he had planned. As soon as he saw Ulrich going for the 'Gravity Hammer', he pulled the trigger.

"_HEADSHOT! BLUE TEAM WINS!"_

"Oh I see, you camper. You pitched a tent and everything! Good job." Ulrich complained.

"Nuh uh! I had just gotten there!" Odd laughed and started the third and final round.

When the round started, Ulrich decided to take a different approach. Instead of going head on to find Odd, he would wait for Odd to find him. The in-game announcer rang out, informing them that they had five minutes left. Still having not seen each other, they both scooted up to the edge of the bed from nervousness. Finally, Ulrich got what he asked for as he witnessed Odd walk right past him. In a quick jolt of energy, he hurriedly pressed buttons.

"_ASSASSINATION! RED TEAM WINS! GAME OVER!"_

"No! A whole week's worth of desserts just went down the drain! How will I live?" Odd shouted to the ceiling as he fell of the bed and onto his knees.

"You know what? You can keep your desserts! Just beating you is all the satisfaction I needed." Ulrich put his hands behind his head and leaned against the wall.

Before the two could say anything else, Jim burst through their door, "What is all this ruckus about, huh? You just got here and you're already hootin' and hollerin'! Why, it reminds me of a time when I played lead guitar for a concert."

Ulrich surprisingly looked at him, "You played guitar in a band, Jim?"

"I, uh…I'd rather not talk about it." He paused, "Keep it down, will you? Please don't tell me your sister is like this, too!" Jim complained before walked away from their dorm without allowing them to answer.

Odd burst into hysterical laughter, "I guess he'll find out when he hears her play her bass!"

Ulrich, too, couldn't help but chuckle, "I can't wait to see his face."

* * *

Jeremy's father had just left the Kadic grounds, leaving his son with a Japanese girl that he hardly even knew. It was better than before though; back when he didn't have any friends at all. He smiled and turned his radio up, bobbing his head to the music.

Jeremy and Yumi were walking towards the dorms. Yumi had offered to carry some of his bags, but he only allowed her to carry one. He had matured greatly over the summer, and not just in his attitude. He had grown a few inches, and was now the same height as Yumi. He was still short for his age, but he had grown, nonetheless. His attire had changed, as well. It consisted of a dark orange t-shirt, gray sweatpants, and casual sneakers. He had lost his glasses over the summer and was forced to wear contacts, making him seem like less of a nerd.

"Have you seen the others, Yumi?" he asked. His voice had gotten slightly deeper, as well. It wasn't as deep as Ulrich's or William's, but he no longer sounded like a child.

"Nope, I just arrived on the grounds, myself. I tried to call Ulrich, but his phone must have been turned off because all I got was his voicemail." Yumi slightly scowled at how the brunette never seemed to keep his phone on.

"Speaking of Ulrich, how are you two doing? Like, what's the situation between you two?"

Normally, Yumi would never open up to people. But seeing that Jeremy was a closer friend than any of the others besides Ulrich, she decided to talk to him, "I told him we needed to remain friends."

Jeremy reacted the same way Odd did, by choking on his saliva, "You did what? I'm no expert on relationships, obviously," it was clear that he was talking about Aelita, "but I know for a fact that neither of you actually want that."

Yumi slightly nodded and looked away, "Yeah, but think about what would happen to our group if we happened to break up. Then Lyoko battles would be even more hectic, and I don't want to be the one to put us through that."

"I suppose you're right."

In their conversation, they had failed to notice that they had ventured their way to Jeremy's dorm room. Jeremy turned the door knob and entered. Yumi stuck behind him, laying the bag she was carrying on his bed.

"You need any help unpacking? I'd be glad to." Yumi offered.

"No thanks. I'm sure you want to go see Ulrich and Odd. I'll be over there after I get done packing."

Yumi nodded before exiting the room.

**Ok, so I was going to let PSR proofread this, but I'm too lazy to send it to her and whatnot. So, if you read this, leave me a review or PM telling me if I screwed Vanessa up or something xD**

**Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this! I'll try to get a new chapter out at **_**LEAST **_**every two weeks, if not sooner.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko or Vanessa.  
I just clean up after Odd's film premiers.**

* * *

**Ugh. I'm dreadfully sorry! I procrastinated, and I've started going to bed earlier so that way school won't be so horrible. ****Anyway, I hope you enjoy this! If you like it, review it!**

**Roads Less Traveled**

**Chapter 2:**

Ulrich and Odd were still going at it in their game of Halo. Although Ulrich was a formidable opponent, he was no match for Odd.

"Dude, you are such a try-hard." Ulrich whined.

"Well…aren't you supposed to be? That's the whole point of the game is to try and win, isn't it?" Odd gave him a goofy smile, like he always did when he was acting childish.

"Yeah but-," Ulrich was cut off by a knock at the door, "Door's open!"

Yumi stepped in, eyeing the two preoccupied teens, "Well, that's a nice 'how do you do?'."

"Yeah, Ulrich, say hi to your girlfriend; you haven't seen her in months!." Odd said, not tearing his eyes from the screen.

Ulrich and Yumi blushed, "She's not my girlfriend!" "I'm not his girlfriend!"

"Yeah, keep telling yourselves that." Odd laughed, "Besides, everyone knows that you two are crazy about each other."

Yumi walked to the Xbox and pressed her finger against the power button, "Let that teach you a lesson."

Instead of getting mad, Odd simply laid down on his bed, "Alright mom, are you going to ground me, too?" he sighed, "There's no way I'm getting up to turn that back on."

Ulrich laughed, "I've never met anyone as lazy as you."

"Yeah, it's a family inheritance."

"What's a family inheritance?" Vanessa asked as she walked through the doorway with Aelita. Yumi moved from her position and sat down in Ulrich and Odd's computer chair.

"Nothing, V, I was just telling Yumi about how lazy us Della Robbia's are." Odd laughed as he lazily scooted over to create a small space for Aelita to sit.

"Speak for yourself, Odd-ball." Vanessa shook hands with Yumi, "Hi, I'm Vanessa, this…thing's big brother." She pointed to Odd.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Yumi."

Odd snickered a little, "Don't you mean 'konnichiwa'?"

Yumi grabbed one of Odd's shoes and threw it at him, "Ugh, you are such a racist! For your information, I was born in France!"

"Yeah, but you're still Japanese." Yumi got up and shoved the blonde off the bed and laughed. No matter how much Odd would taunt her, she knew he meant no harm.

"She's actually mixed. She lives in France, is of Japanese heritage, knows Indonesian martial arts, and has friends from Germany and America." Aelita laughed, making her presence known.

"Yeah, speaking of Indonesian martial arts, Yumi and I have got practice in a few minutes." Ulrich said.

Yumi's eyes bulged, "On the first day?! Why wasn't I informed about this?"

Odd pulled his body back onto the bed, "Maybe Jim thinks you're too mixed and that you should slack off a bit." Just as he got settled back on his bed, Yumi shoved him back off, "Ugh…I love you too, Yumi." Aelita laughed and helped him back onto the bed.

Yumi gave a halfhearted smile, "Yeah, I guess we should get going then."

Vanessa shyly spoke, "Um, do you think you're instructor would give me lessons? I've always wanted to know some self-defense."

The gang was awestruck that a small girl like herself would be willing to learn martial arts.

"Actually, I don't think you'd want to learn from Jim. His class is for more…advanced members. But if you want to learn, I'd be glad to teach you." Ulrich said, getting up from his bed and grabbing his sports bag. He hauled it over his shoulder and turned back to the magenta-haired girl, "Meet me in the gym tonight after supper, okay? We don't have classes until Tuesday, so we can stay up late and practice."

Vanessa smiled, "I'll see you there!"

Odd eyed the back of her head skeptically. Not only had Ulrich happily offered to teach her, which was rare for him, she happily accepted it. She wasn't here to make friends like she is, not that it was a problem. It was good that she was trying to put the past behind her, but rushing things never worked for anyone.

* * *

Fortunately for the gang, classes didn't start until that Tuesday, so they had today and Monday off. After they left Odd and Ulrich's room, they each went their separate ways. Ulrich and Yumi went to their Pencak Silat practice, Aelita offered to go with Vanessa to check out the rest of the campus, and Odd had snuck away to the art room. He liked the comfort that creativity brought him; the way the worries of the world could be forgotten with each stroke of a brush. Over the summer, however, all of the paints at the school had become stale, so he resorted to drawing.

Numerous thoughts engulfed his mind as he began to sketch. He thought of Lyoko, and how their fight against Xana was becoming progressively harder. He thought of Aelita, her pink hair now reaching below her shoulders. His thoughts then drifted to his sister, about the conflict she had endured over the summer. He flinched as he recalled the events.

_Vanessa and her boyfriend, Steven, had just returned home. From where, Odd did not know, but he had long past decided that their endeavors were between themselves. When Steven walked in, it seemed as if Vanessa was trying to, rather poorly, hide the fact that he was under the influence of drugs. It did not concern Odd, though; he knew that Steven had changed. Alas, Vanessa was happy, so he would be happy, as well._

_After a few minutes of silence, her heard Vanessa's voice, "Steven, stop it!" he heard a rather hard smack, "Stop it!" Then, he could have sworn he heard her muffle a scream._

_He heard Steven, but it was not the Steven that he once knew, "You bitch!" Then another un-muffled scream escaped from his sister. There was a vociferous sound of shattering glass, followed by several loud clatters. Odd hastily escaped from his comfort and dashed up the stairs, followed by his younger sisters whom had also heard the ruckus._

"_What the hell is going on up there?!" A second later, he was brutally shoved aside by Steven as he ran for the exit. Odd ran into Vanessa's room and was taken aback by the sight. __Vanessa was lying on the carpet; she was covered in cuts and bruises and could hardly breathe. The couch was knocked over and there was dirt scattered on the carpet from the broken flower vase destroyed in the struggle. Odd ran to his sister, kneeling down to her level. There was blood all over her dress, some of which was clearly not hers, proving she had put up a rather convincing fight. He pulled her head into his lap. Her once flawless face was now covered in blood, and a large gash ran from her widow's peak down to the left of her left eyebrow. There was still a large piece of glass embedded inside._

"_Molly, call 911!" she did as she was told, and Odd began to perform CPR, in hopes that his sister would come to._

Odd sighed and let a single tear fall down his cheek. He rarely showed any emotion other than happiness; he preferred to inscribe it in his artwork.

Lost in his train of thought, he had drawn a rather interesting piece. On the left, there were numerous blue squares and rectangles, all appearing to be moving as you stared at the picture. At the top left corner of the page, he had drawn the Eye of Xana. The middle of the paper was dominated by various shades of pink that faded into purple as it reached the right side of the paper. At the top of this portion there was a small white rose. The purple from the middle quickly faded to crimson, which covered the entire right portion. Inside the crimson coloring, he had drawn shards of glass; larger at the top and gradually smaller as they reached the bottom.

He stared at it for a while, realizing that he had drawn his very thoughts onto a small canvas. Deciding to keep it, he neatly folded it into a small square and placed it in his back pocket.

* * *

"So, how do you think you did?" Ulrich asked. He and Yumi had just finished with their Pencak Silat lesson, and were heading to the cafeteria for supper. On occasion, Yumi would stay and eat with her friends, as long as her parents didn't mind.

"I got you in a head lock twice, so I assume I did good." She took a sip from a water bottle before placing it back into her bag, "You've gotten better, though."

Ulrich blushed slightly, "Thanks. I practiced almost every day during the summer. You aren't so bad, yourself." Although she wouldn't dare mention it, she had noticed Ulrich's strenuous training. Due to the immense summer heat, he had removed his shirt, showing his newly formed muscles. His shoulders were broader, his arms were larger, and his core had finally strengthened enough to show itself.

"Please, I'm at least a year behind you." She nudged his ribs with her elbow, causing him to jump slightly. She noticed his sensitivity, and took advantage of it, "At least I'm not ticklish!"

"Oh yeah?" Ulrich had a mischievous look about him, "Well, what would you do if I did this?" he quickly jumped behind her, assaulting her with his hands around her ribs. Unable to control herself, she burst into laughter and began so swat his hands away. He stopped, much to her approval, but kept his hands on her hips. She tilted her head to look at him, and he had a dreamy look in his eye. No longer was he the small boy whom she had met just two years ago; he was, more or less, closer to a man. The two of them stood in silence for a few seconds, before quickly flashing their eyes from each other.

"Ulrich? You can…um…let go of me now." She blushed.

"Oh! Right…sorry about that." He blushed as well. He attempted to hide it by looking away from her and towards the ground. It only lasted for a few seconds, but he saw the look in her eye. He wouldn't exactly call it desire, as if he knew what the emotion even was, but he caught a certain sparkle in her eye that he had only seen a few times before. However, they had agreed to stay friends, and that's the way it would stay.

* * *

Aelita, with Vanessa at her side, strode through the intricate maze of hallways of the Academic Principles Building. At each point of importance, she would stop and entertain Vanessa with a short lecture of what the room was there for, who the teacher was, and so on. Although Vanessa would only need to know a select few of these teachers, she toned into her new pink haired friend, nonetheless.

"This is Mrs. Hertz's room. She teaches most of the science courses here." Aelita took Vanessa's schedule from her hands, "Here, you have Biology during third block with Yumi."

"What's a…block?" Vanessa looked genuinely confused.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot you're from America. Basically, instead of seven, fifty minute classes, we have four, one hour and forty-five minute classes. At the middle of the year, these classes change, allowing you to complete other required classes."

Vanessa raised an eyebrow, "Did you just figure that out in your head?"

"Yes?" she realized her situation, and blushed slightly, "Yeah, I tend to be called a genius. Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

Vanessa smiled, which was a rare oddity, "Yeah, I guess I will." She had only been here for a few hours, and she had already made a good friend. Granted, she was a year older than Aelita, she could still sit with her at lunch and during breaks. She wasn't exactly sent to Kadic to make friends and be sociable, but she wasn't about to complain about it, either.

Aelita looked at her wristwatch, suddenly realizing the late time, "Wow, is it really that late?"

Vanessa checked her phone, also stunned at the time, "We should go to supper. I'm sure Odd's already there."

Aelita let out a small giggle, "I wouldn't be surprised if he was!"

* * *

Aelita and Vanessa walked into the cafeteria after seeing Odd's spike through a window. The two girls got into the line and waited to get their food.

Vanessa stepped forward and was met by the gleaming eyes of Rosa, "So what'll it be, love? Shrimp and chicken or ravioli?"

"Both, I'm sure Odd will want some extra food." Rosa smiled at her, realizing who Vanessa was. Vanessa gave a polite smile and moved over so the next kid could get his food. Her eyes examined the room until she found a familiar splotch of purple hair next to a pink headed girl.

"Great, now we've got another Dorka Robbia at our school! How wonderful." Vanessa turned to see a preppy looking girl, surrounded by two guys. One was rather muscular and was staring off into space like a dolt; the other was covered in acne and wore bifocals.

"Who are you, again?" Vanessa was bewildered at how this girl somehow knew who she was. The cafeteria had been engulfed in a complete silence. Many of the kids had turned from their seats to get a better view of the girls.

"Oh, I don't know, just the most popular girl at Kadic! Sissi's the name!" She paused to flip her overly-straightened hair over her shoulder, "I'm the principal's daughter, you see, and I don't like you Della Robbia's _or _you're stupid little gang! So how about you just stay out of my way, huh?" A rather smug look came about her.

Vanessa didn't even flinch at her irreverence, "I remember you insulting my family first, which started this conversation. I was never in your way. Heck, I didn't even know who you were until now." she casually turned towards the table and took a seat next to Ulrich, "So how about _you_ stay out of _my _way?"

Sissi's face turned a crimson color as various incoherent words escaped her mouth through gritted teeth. She quickly turned on her heel and strode to an empty table, followed by Nicolas and Herve. Slowly, the cafeteria came back to life. First with small whispers and gradually increasing to loud conversations.

Ulrich turned to the magenta-haired girl with a smile, "Wow. I couldn't have done it better, myself."

Odd laughed, "Oh my _God_, I'm going to die!" his laughing spurted out of control and turned into minor coughing fits, "Did you see her face?!"

Aelita gently patted him on the back, "Calm down, Odd, you'll pull a muscle at this rate." The others began to laugh at Aelita's choke.

Odd, however, quieted, "Was that a 'scrawny joke'?"

Aelita put her index finger to her lips to achieve an innocent look, "Maybe?"

Odd found it rather difficult to control his emotions. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her right then and there, but he was aware of the consequences that would bring. He just couldn't help himself. The afternoon sunlight reflected from her soft green eyes, creating an illusion of them sparkling. She was so breathtaking, and it shamed him to have to hide it, "Alright, Princess, if you keep going, I'll have to take drastic measures. And for your information, I'm not scrawny!" he paused to admire his muscles, "I'm svelte."

Vanessa couldn't help but smile. She seemed to be doing that a lot more, as of late, "Nope. You're pretty scrawny, Odd-ball."

Ulrich placed his arm around Vanessa, "See? Even your own family is on my side!"

Odd scoffed, "What?! Oh, no, Vanessa is my sister; therefore she is automatically on my side. Right, V?"

Vanessa flustered, "Um…uh." She was cut off by a blonde boy who took his seat across from her.

"Hey guys, sorry I didn't come see you earlier, I had to-," he stopped himself when he noticed the new face sitting across from him, "I'm terribly sorry, I must have forgotten my manners." He stuck a hand out to Vanessa, "I'm Jeremy Belpois. And you are?"

Vanessa shook Jeremy's hand, "Vanessa Della Robbia; Odd's sister."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." He friendlily smiled at her and returned with his conversation with the others, "Like I was saying, I had to run some tests on a…um…a program for my computer." The gang lightly nodded their heads, understanding that they shouldn't talk about the Super Computer in Vanessa's company.

Odd stretched his arms up above him and yawned, "Yeah, maybe we'll swing by tonight and check on it. Because I, for one, am dying to see what your ingenious mind has discovered. What's it this time? Cure for cancer? Solving world hunger?"

Jeremy smiled, happy that his friends acknowledge his intellect, "Well, it's the next best thing!"

Vanessa noticed the sudden change in attitude. At one moment they were cheerful, and the next they were talking about computer programs? And why did the mood suddenly change to a more serious one? Suspicion rose within her, and she decided she was to have a word with Odd whenever she got the chance.

**Honestly, I hate this chapter. But, there has to be an awkward filler before the real fun begins, right? :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko or Vanessa Della Robbia. I simply potty trained William's clone.**

* * *

**Ok, I'm back! So, it may seem that I'm just copying 'Code Lyoko: Destinies Realized', but I'm really not. I promised myself that I wouldn't make Vanessa out of character, therefore I must introduce her past (which was created by PurpleSatinRose) before the story takes place! :D **

Vanessa's day was boring, to say the least. Considering classes didn't start until Tuesday, there wasn't much for the borders to do besides read or hang out with what friends had arrived. She had planned to ask Odd about the sudden awkward behavior at the lunch table earlier, but she couldn't find him anywhere.

All day, however, she tried her best to steer away from depression. Ulrich had promised to teach her Pencak Silat soon in the gymnasium, so she had every reason in the world to be ecstatic, but she wasn't. She hadn't exactly been happy since summer break.

She could remember the horrific events that occurred that night. The scar she now hid under her magenta colored bangs, the sever discoloration of her once white clothes, how drunk the boy she once loved was…it all seemed so fictitious. That night was meant to be perfect; her parents were out of town, and she had promised him that she would go to a college party with him. He seemed fond of them lately, and they appeared to make him happy, and that was all Vanessa ever really wanted.

"_Ok, Steven, I'll go with you." She paused to contemplate her decision, "You're sure these parties don't get too rough, right?"_

"_I'm sure, babe. Some of the guys there get rowdy, but I don't like to hang out with them."_

Not a night went past that she didn't dream of telling her past self to not give into his selfish ways. She knew he was lying about his friends; she knew that Steven had begun smoking and drinking, but she just wanted him to be happy. She would do anything to have the old Steven back. If only she would have known that the Steven she once knew had died a long time ago.

_They arrived at a run-down looking building at about 9:00 that night. Vanessa observed her surroundings, noticing that the neon lights were dull, and only a few of the letters were still lit. The brick walls were aged, making them seem almost black. She shoved her thoughts aside, being a firm believer in the proverb 'never judge a book by its cover'._

_Upon entering, she was forced to scrunch her nose slightly and do a double take. The air was filled with the fowl stenches of booze, sweat, and another smell she hadn't experienced before, but had definitely heard about. She thought about walking out the door right then and there, but the sudden tug of Steven's hand forced that thought out._

"_Come on, V, lighten up! It's fun, you'll see!" Steven smiled a smile that she hadn't seen in a while. It was a remnant of his old self. Back when they would surf together behind her house every weekend and play around with her little sisters until dark. _

_She wearily smiled back, "If you say so." And with that, she was pulled towards the dance floor and slung around. If it hadn't been for the uncomfortable vibe of being around a bunch of older guys, she would have enjoyed it. Soon, Steven stopped dancing and perched himself on a stool, gesturing for Vanessa to follow with his hand. She did, and soon found herself watching him guzzle down alcohol like wildfire. He'd obviously done it many times before._

"_Steven, I think you need to calm down a little. You're going to end up drunk, and you're the only one who can drive us home."_

_Steven's voice slurred slightly, "Wha? Oh, hhheey Vannesha! Cmon, les dance!" he grasped her hand and began to lead her to the dance floor._

"_No, Steven, I'm taking you home. We'll walk, I'm not letting you drive." She kept a stern face._

"_Ah c'mon, shweethart! I was jus shtartin' to have fffun!"He teetered a little as he stood. He was obviously more drunk than she had thought._

"_No. Come on, we'll go to my place." She grasped his hand and led him out the door._

It was during that walk home, Vanessa realized, that she had lost her passion for Steven. The boy who cared for her unconditionally, yet still loved to play 1v1 soccer with her didn't exist any longer. Steven had morphed into a drunkard whom she barely even recognized. However, she hadn't expected Steven to lash out at her when she confessed her feelings. The old Steven wouldn't hurt a fly, but the boy she now knew had been ready to murder her. If Odd hadn't been at the house, she was positive that he wouldn't have stopped.

She jumped slightly when she heard a knock at her door. Upon opening it, she noticed a strong brunette boy happily looking down at her. He was wearing a sparring uniform that consisted of a black tang-top and black sweatpants along with a black pair of shoes that he only used when sparring.

"Ready to practice?" Ulrich asked, his eyebrows rising when he smiled at her.

"Oh, yeah sure!" she fumbled with her hair for a second, trying to think of something to say, "You go ahead, I'll catch up." Ulrich nodded and turned away from her dorm room.

* * *

Upon Jeremy and Aelita's request, the gang had assembled in his room to discuss the new program they had written for the Super Computer.

"Hey, where's Ulrich?" Jeremy asked as he turned in his chair to face them. Odd plopped down on Jeremy's bed next to Aelita and answered.

"He promised Vanessa that he'd start teaching her 'Pen Check Sit Back' tonight." He couldn't help but notice Yumi's face contort slightly. Discarding her menacing look, he retrieved a candy bar from his jacket pocket and began to consume it.

Aelita laughed, "I think someone's a little jealous."

"I am not!" Yumi blushed, but kept her firm stance, "Why would I be jealous? We're just good friends."

Odd rolled his eyes, "Right."

Jeremy pinched the bridge of his nose in angst, "Guys, now really isn't the time. If it makes you feel any better, I've got good news!"

Yumi sat next to Odd, giving him a hard hit to his side with her elbow before gingerly crossing her legs as if she were completely innocent, "Enlighten us."

"Aelita and I have finally found a way to explore the internet."

Odd choked the bar of chocolate, "What?"

Yumi scoffed at him, "Don't talk with your mouth full, Odd. It's unbecoming."

"Whatever, _mom_." Odd obediently swallowed his food before speaking again, "What you're saying is that we can go into the Digital Sea without ending up like Dr. Shrank's experiments?"

"Well, if you put it that way, than yes."

Aelita stood and propped herself next to Jeremy, "It's, more or less, like a submarine. There's one big ship, along with four smaller ships that can be released from it. We've left the naming up to you, Odd. Considering you name everything else."

Odd perked, "Sweet! How about 'Melanie'?"

Yumi turned towards him, "Melanie? You mean that red-head with the pig-tails?"

Odd's face formed a dreamy look, "Yeah, that's the one."

"No, Odd, we aren't naming the submarine 'Melanie'." Jeremy's rolled his eyes, "Besides, Aelita and I still have some finishing touches to perform on it. And no doubt, Xana will try his best to keep us from doing so. That being said, I want all of you guys to go to Lyoko tomorrow while we finish up the program."

Odd gawked, "What, you mean all day?"

Aelita couldn't help but laugh, "No, Oddball. The setup shouldn't last more than a few minutes. It's just that it has be executed directly after the program that is running now is completed, which should be at about four o'clock tomorrow."

Odd warily turned to Jeremy, "Seriously, how does she know all of this?"

Aelita scratched her nose intelligently, "Being in Lyoko for eleven years has its perks, you know."

Yumi laughed, "So, how about you do my homework for now on, huh?"

"No can do. I have enough on my plate when I do Odd's! Seriously, Odd, I'm debating on how literate you actually are." She raised one eyebrow.

Odd got a rather mischievous look on his face, "Cosa pensi che sono, un nano da giardino?"

Aelita gawked, "Number one; no I don't think you're a garden gnome. Number two; where did you learn to speak Italian?"

"My sister, Adele, taught me." He puffed his chest out proudly, only to have Yumi smack his sternum roughly. With a rather loud 'OOF', Odd sprawled out on Jeremy's bed, putting his feet in Yumi's lap.

"Odd, get your stinking paws off of me! Literally!"

"Come on, Yumes! Haven't you hurt me enough already?" Odd put on a rather convincing puppy dog face. Alas, Yumi saw through it.

"Um…" she put her finger to her chin, putting on a fake impression of thinking, "Nope." And with that, she shoved the blonde off of the bed.

"Ugh…how many times must we go through this?"

Jeremy put his glasses on and faced his desktop, "Alright, alright, that's enough. Aelita and I have work to do, so will you please dismiss yourselves?"

Odd stood from his face planted position, "…pushy." He closed the door just before Jeremy hollered at him.

"I heard that!" Odd chuckled as he shut the door entirely. He waved goodbye to Yumi, as she explained that she must return home. Odd, realizing he had nothing better to do, strode to the gymnasium in hopes of watching Vanessa learn from a master.

* * *

Ulrich stood in a guiding stance, helping Vanessa along with the various moves and exercises he had learned over the years. She caught on quickly, and her balance was excellent. Ulrich stood behind her, his fingers grasping her wrists.

"You've got to feel the flow of energy throughout your body. It may seem farfetched, but as you perform the maneuvers, you can feel your own blood following a path that you have created. It's not anything supernatural, but the flow of blood does increase your brain capability." He continued to move her arms throughout various cycles. At first, it was a simple back and forth motion, but soon he moved her up to a more advanced level.

"Ok, I think you'll be able to handle what I have in store for you." He smirked. Vanessa gulped violently as she witnessed Ulrich unsheathe a wooden katana.

"Aren't you afraid to hurt me?" she asked, hoping for her preferred answer.

"If I'm correct, you won't be injured. If I'm badly mistaken, however, you may end up in the hospital." He raised the blade, "I'm going to swing at you, and I want you to dodge it as much as possible."

"Oh I get it! This will help with coordination, ri-," she was cut off as Ulrich swung his sword at her side. She yelped, expecting immense pain to occur, but it never came. She glanced down, noticing the wooden blade mere inches from her body.

He removed the blade, returning it to his side, "Pencak Silat is an ancient form of self-defense; similar to Ba Gua. Meaning, if you hesitate, it could mean the difference in life or death. Pencak Silat isn't about offensive maneuvers, either. The object is to stay in motion, circling around your opponent until you either see an opening, or they are too weak to fight any longer. " he smiled at her, "Let's try that again."

Vanessa prepared herself. She put her hair in a bun and bent her knees slightly, reading herself for Ulrich's blows. Ulrich swung at her feet, expecting to easily hit her again. However, she witnessed the swing just in time and gracefully hopped over the blade.

"Nice. Use you're superior agility against a non-flexible opponent. Very resourceful."

As Ulrich complemented her, she noticed an opening in his abdomen. With a swift kick, Ulrich was launched backwards, landing on his butt.

He looked at her with wide eyes, but smiled nonetheless, "We'll see if I ever complement _you _again." She giggled before plopping down beside him.

"So, how do you think I did?" she asked.

"At this rate, I suspect you'll get through the beginner levels by next semester." He answered, retrieving a plastic bottle, "Here, you've earned it."

She gladly received the bottle, "Thanks, I owe you one." She opened the bottle, guzzling down half of the contents.

"Free of charge. You're one of us now." He smiled his signature smile.

"My, my, you sure know how to make a lady feel special." She said, rather sarcastically.

Ulrich laughed slightly, "In that case, I want my water back!" He made an effort to grab it from her, only to have her turn her body away from him.

"No!" she hurriedly gulped the rest of the water down before turning back to the brunette, "Never mind, here you go"

"Pff, well now it's useless." Ulrich let out an exasperated sigh as he plopped his body down on the wrestling mats that they had used for practice. Vanessa let her hair down before doing so, as well.

"I like your hair like that." Ulrich said, a nervous blush upon his face.

"You mean, down? Its fine when I straighten it, but when it's wavy it just looks terrible." She paused, "Thank you though."

"No problem, Dorka Robbia." Vanessa propelled her arm towards Ulrich, hearing a satisfying thump as it hit his chest.

"Jeez, someone's been lifting weights."

Ulrich laughed, "Well, martial arts will do that to you." She laughed, turning her gaze to meet his. The two didn't speak for a while; they simply stared into each other. They had only known each other for a day, but their emotions seemed to meet as if they were old friends.

Little did they know, a certain blonde haired boy was standing at the door, watching the two with a mischievous look in his eyes.

* * *

**I've rewrote this chapter four times, but I just can't seem to get it right D: So, you don't have to tell me this chapter is awful, because I already know that xD**

**Anyway, school started today, so I won't be updating nearly as often as I do now. Sorry for the inconvenience :3**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm sorry to say that I won't be continuing Roads Less Traveled until after Code of the Dead is finished (or at least until next summer). Writing Code of the Dead, along with school and family has taken a toll, and I've found myself scrounging for time. **

**Please be aware that I am not abandoning this story. I'm merely postponing later releases. **


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